Footballer on gun charge

An Emirati footballer has been charged with carrying and firing an unlicensed firearm.

DUBAI // An Emirati footballer charged with carrying and firing an unlicensed firearm failed to appear before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday for the first hearing. SA, 26, is accused of threatening to shoot an Emirati, AJ, 35, unless he knelt on the floor and kissed the feet of his companion. The prosecution said SA also fired a shot from the unlicensed 9mm Ruger P85 pistol into the air, placing the lives of his victim and the public at risk. Judge Abdel Majeed al Nizami said he would issue his ruling on Aug 17.

The incident took place in the car park of a hotel in Jumeirah in the early hours of March 19. In his testimony to prosecutors, AJ said he heard the defendant arguing loudly with his male companion, identified as Adel, as he was leaving the hotel bar just after 3am. He went to try to calm them down, he said, and was surprised by the defendant telling him to "leave or I will slap your face". Stunned by the defendant's reaction, AJ decided to walk away, but later returned and asked SA why he had said what he did. SA allegedly replied: "I will slap you and 10 men like you."

The verbal exchange escalated to pushing and shoving, and one of the hotel security staff intervened and pulled SA and an AJ apart. Adel and AJ left the hotel behind SA, who was walking towards his car. As the pair got closer to the defendant he turned around and took a gun from his pocket and pointed it at AJ, according to the testimony. SA fired the gun into the air and told AJ to get down to the ground or he would shoot him. As AJ was getting down to the ground, SA kicked him in the chest and ran off.

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